


I Bet My Life: A Song Fic

by k8eroseg (knight_of_mockery)



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Teenage Rebellion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-23
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-03-08 11:29:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13457310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knight_of_mockery/pseuds/k8eroseg
Summary: A one-shot inspired by "I Bet My Life" by Imagine DragonsMother!Reader and Teenage!Ace





	I Bet My Life: A Song Fic

**Author's Note:**

> This one-shot was originally posted on DeviantArt in 2015. There is doubtless many errors, but as of now I have no plans to rewrite it.  
> You can check out the original here:

You smiled as Sabo and Luffy were talking to each other at the dinner table. You thought Ace would be there; after all, he had just graduated from high school, but once again, he was absent. You wondered where he was. He hadn’t been coming home until very early each morning, around three a.m.

        You had adopted the three boys when you were twenty. You had a lot of experience with kids, and you had inherited a decent two-floor house from your great-uncle, who had spoiled you rotten as a child. When you saw the two five year-olds and the two-year-old, you fell in love. Yet around the start of sophmore year, Ace would sneak out to go to parties with friends. Eventually he just stopped coming home.

        You found out that he started falling asleep in class. A  _lot._  He was sleep-deprived from his partying, yet he still didn’t come home at night. Sabo covered for him at first, since Luffy was a terrible liar. The two boys always tried to cheer you up, but you always felt like you did something wrong.

        You heard the front door open, and hurried to the foyer. Ace was there, his duffle bag slung over his hould. “Ace, why…”

        “Figured I’d say good-bye, at least.”

        You blinked. “What do you mean, Ace?” Sabo and Luffy came into the foyer as well.

        “I’m leaving. For good. I’ve been a pain to you. I mean, you’re only fifteen years older than Sabo and me, yet you’ve been taking care of us. I’m just doing you a favor. Start living a little. You're what, thirty-three?”

        “But, Ace…” Your lips started to tremble. “Why? I’ve been like a mother, yet now you hurt me like this? I  _want_  to be your mother. I love you.”

        Ace scoffed. “You aren’t my  _mother_. I’m not an idiot, you know. My mother was Portgaz D. Rouge. She died during childbirth. So quit pretending.”

        Your face crumpled as tears streaked down your face. “Ace, please…”

        Sabo frowned. “Apologize,” he said. “(Name) loves us, has done everything for us. Why are you throwing it in her face?”

        Ace scowled, and went out the door. Sabo went chasing after him while Luffy tried to cheer you up. “Sabo will get him back,” he said. “Don’t worry, (Name).”  
 

* * *

 

Ace didn’t come back. Sabo and Luffy tried to cheer you up. Throughout the summer, they took you out to movies, to fairs, to anything that could make you smile again. You did smile occasionally, but not often. Then Sabo left for college, and Luffy was going to parties more, though he always let you know where he was, and would send you silly texts.

        Sabo came back for winter break. They helped decorate the house. Luffy and Sabo invited friends. You started to forgive Ace, and the pain, at least, faded from your mind. The following year, you hosted another Christmas party. You had started dating, to the urging of Luffy, though you weren’t seeing anyone currently. The party was really crowded, and several guests looked uncomfortable (Trafalgar Law and Dracule Mihawk, for example).

        The younger guests, mostly Luffy and Sabo’s friends, were playing Truth or Dare, at the  insistence of Luffy and Koala. You were highly amused by the game, when you heard the doorbell ring. Finding your way through the teenagers, you managed to get to the foyer. Opening the door, you gasped.

        “Hey, (Name),” Ace said. He was in an aviator’s jacket, and had his duffle bag slung over his shoulder. “Thought I’d stop by.”

        Tears ran down your face. “Ace…” You wrapped your arms around him. You were still shorter than him, of course. “Why…?”

        “I’m sorry, (Name). For leaving. Can I talk to you?”

        You nodded, and he came inside. Going up to his old bedroom, he sat on his bed. “You know--actually, you don’t. I haven’t talked to you in over a year.

        “I’ve traveled all over the world, the past year and a half. I’ve done and seen so many things. I never really thought I’d come home. Not once.” You started to cry again, and he started talking again. “I’ve lied to you so many times, I’ve given you hell through all the years, yet I never thanked you. Not once.”  
  
        You shook your head. "(Name), the reason I left is because I found out who my biological father is. He was a criminal, one of the worst criminals. I couldn't stand knowing that, knowing that you were raising demon spawn."  
  
        "Ace," you said as firmly as you could. "I don't care who your father is. I care about  _you_. I care about who you are." You wrapped your arms around him. "I love you, just like I love Sabo and Luffy."  
  
        He smiled. "I love you too. From now on, I'm gonna bet my life on you. My mother."


End file.
